Here's the deal with honey. Honey is graded by color. The lighter the color, the more value. Any honey from a local beekeeper is no doubt "organic" and not pressure filtered. Raw just means it hasn't been heated. In a small operation, there's no need to not let gravity cause the honey to drip through the mesh strainer. "Raw" sounds unfinished to me.
Not only that, she goes on, but I really can't believe that honey labeled raw and organic and from Brazil is really all those things. What it is is dark and medicinal-looking.
Doing some calculations of what my honey is worth, according to the various jars and bears, I get a range of a minimum of $11 for the quart jar, up to $16.50 for organic and raw. If I were to part with any of the specialty honey, the basswood, I would expect to get $20 for a quart jar, for the premium light color and unique flavor. Anyone who had tasted basswood honey (and could afford it) would be happy to get it.
I used my new spiffy digital kitchen scale and discovered that a quart jar holds not three pounds, but two pounds and twelve ounces of honey. So my calculations were based on that.
One other factor, in addition to all the expense of equipment, is the glass jars, which cost almost a dollar each. From all the above, it is apparent that I intend to sell some honey but don't want to haggle with those who want the price to be cheaper than Walmart.
These jars, filled yesterday, are all the same batch of light, exquisite honey. The ones near the window just have more light shining through them. Beekeepers frequently use the flat-sided glass honey jars to make the honey look one grade lighter. Those jars are lovely but even more expensive than the canning jars.
Fine honey is like fine wine, expensive.
